The Best, And Where To Get It

Bread Basket

May 18, 1986|By Margaret Sheridan.

You spoil your appetite even before the appetizer arrives. The basket is loaded with four homemade breads . . . pizza bread laden with garlic, oregano, cheese, plain Italian bread plus two filled breads. Depending on the chef`s whim, it might be Italian sausage with fennel and escarole bread with capers and green olives. Or bread stuffed with roasted peppers or zucchini with leeks and carrots. Served warm, the bread spoils appetites. But who cares? It`s a great basket of grainy fuel. Restaurant Sogni Dorati, 660 N. Wells St.

BREAD

SOURCE: By Margaret Sheridan.

Look no further than D`Amato Bakery, 1124 W. Grand Ave. Its crusty 2-pound round loaf ($1.90) is better than your best homemade efforts. Coarse textured, slightly sour and with a crust that challenges teeth, it doesn`t need heating or butter. You also can find it in many Italian restaurants, such as Avanzare and George`s.

FISH SANDWICH

SOURCE: By Margaret Sheridan.

Take on dashboard cuisine at its finest. Dock`s fish fillet sandwiches are dynamite. Two or three plump, golden brown fillets (boneless whiting)

served on a supersize whole wheat bun ($2.95). Drizzle with hot sauce and chase it with lemonade. 1347 E. 87th St. and other locations.

PRE-THEATER DINNER

SOURCE: By Richard Christiansen.

Gordon, 500 N. Clark St. Served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, the $16.95 meal includes the chef`s nightly selections of appetizer, salad, entree and dessert, plus beverage. The price is right, the food is extraordinary, the service is friendly and professional, and the sophisticated atmosphere of dramatically decorated elegance is ideal for pre-theater conditioning. When making reservations, customers should note that they want the pre-theater menu. It`s among the best dining buys in town.

AFTER-THEATER DINNER

SOURCE: By Richard Christiansen.

Ed Debevic`s, 540 N. Wells St. Not the place for a leisurely meal, but then, after the theater, most folks don`t want to linger over a two-hour dining experience. The fast food`s fine, and at post-theater hours, the crowds usually have thinned out to manageable proportions. The place`s noise and the bustle are perfect accompaniments for after-theater socializing. They keep the adrenalin flowing, if the show you`ve seen has been exhilarating; and if the show has been a bummer, the spunky waitresses and funny `50s diners` touches will help you forget your misery.

CUTEST WAITER

SOURCE: By Tasia Kavvadius.

Okay, girls; so maybe Jamie Gaballa, 24, isn`t the most handsome waiter around, but a warm personality and a genuine caring attitude keep some of us returning again and again to Panda Restaurant, 3200 N. Lake Shore Dr., where he works part-time.

Maybe it`s the curly hair or the big eyes. Just say I sent you, and you`ll see what I mean. To keep in shape, Gaballa says, he lifts weights and plays a bit of tennis between stints waiting on tables and working at his other job as a commodities broker. Sounds like he has no spare time for meeting new friends, but, hey, give it a try.

MARTINI

SOURCE: By Margaret Sheridan.

Fasten your seat belt and order an executive swirler, the legendary libation that endears martini drinkers to the Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton St. Served in a snifter, the executive swirler packs 4 ounces of gin or vodka, 1/ 2 ounce vermouth. Order it in a rock glass with ice or straight up. Offered all over the hotel, it`s least expensive ($4.50) at the ground level bar, Coq d`Or.

SALAD

SOURCE: By JeanMarie Brownson.

A real winner: Fresh salmon salad on the luncheon menu, $6.95, at Shaw`s, 21 E. Hubbard St. Chunks of perfectly cooked salmon (not any canned stuff here) served on a bed of romaine with a creamy dill dressing are surrounded by small samples of other delightful cold salads such as marinated mushrooms and a cucumber slaw.

CHICAGO RESTAURANT NOT IN CHICAGO

SOURCE: By Mark Knoblauch.

What makes a Chicago restaurant? No pretensions, simply a place that prides itself on serving the best native meat, potatoes and desserts, and in overwhelming portions. Phil Smidt and Son, 1205 N. Calumet Ave., Hammond, loads tables with lake perch swimming in butter, adds on heaping plates of the country`s best frog legs, brings out platters of good french fries to help soak up all that extra butter, and tops all this off with a wedge of wonderful downhome pecan or gooseberry pie. Enough butter lubricates the meal that diners virtually slide down the Skyway bridge into Chicago. Lines out the door testify to the spot`s continuing popularity.